Alas, poor Peter

Sadly, Peter Rabbit is no more.  He had been a most entertaining fixture in the garden for a few weeks, hanging out around the veg plot and occasionally venturing out onto the lawn (and into next-door’s garden, to the annoyance of their dog, who wasn’t allowed out to chase him).  He nibbled some of the veg plants, which had to be protected, but seemed happy with clover and grasses on the lawn; and from time to time he would chase the pigeons, apparently just for fun (the pigeons mostly ignored him).  Then, on Sunday morning he was found stretched out on one of the veg plot paths near the rhubarb, quite dead; there was no sign of him having been attacked in any way, and we assume that he had just died.

The difficulty of finding a suitable spot to bury deceased wildlife in this garden has already been mentioned.  A place under one of the osmanthuses was selected, where the vegetation needed clearing in any case; a lot of the Buddleja alternifolia had to be cut out (and about time too), and a quick decision taken on the self-sown hypericum (dig out!).  A suitably deep-ish hole was dug and Peter was laid to rest, with a Geranium nodosum (little pale pink flowers, likes shade) on top.  We had got used to looking out for him and now miss him.

Meanwhile, the garden marches on.  June had a couple of warm spells – the usual ‘two hot days and a thunderstorm’ – but overall was rather chilly and windy, with some showery rain; July is shaping up to be quite a lot warmer.  We’ve just had a few days of heat, followed by a drizzly day today, with more heat from tomorrow.  Real rain has been in short supply, and it is once more an uphill battle to keep all the little pots watered; I shall have to bed the plants out temporarily into one of the empty veg beds, though I know only too well how easy it is to leave them there and let them become fixtures that are not easily removed!  The bottom end of the veg plot has already morphed into a sort of ‘cutting garden’, with antirrhinums, foxgloves and sweet William making a bright corner in sweet-shop colours and providing vasefuls of flowers.  Should I leave them there?  Might not be a bad idea!

A colourful corner

The unmown area under the plum tree is full of orchids (pyramidal orchids); I reckon there are over 60.  The photo gives a poor impression and only shows a few of them, as the shade and the long grass makes it difficult to get a good view, but it’s a splendid show. 

Orchids under the plum tree

The roses are a little past their peak, but still blooming freely.  I always forget to celebrate Rosa dupontii up the side of the house; it has little scent, but it’s a lovely flower (and the bees think so too, nb one in the photo!).  The sweet peas have also provided a few posies for the house: red, white and blue (pity they weren’t in bloom for the Jubilee!).

Red, white and blue sweet peas

Rosa dupontii

I have done one job that has been put off for too long: repotting the azalea  (A. ‘Rosebud’) in fresh compost.  It might be too late, as the top growth is quite sparse, but it’s an old plant (from our last garden, so over 30 years old) and it has done well.  I hope to do the camellias as well, once they’re past their flowering time.

Fine double rainbow this evening - pot of gold down in the field ....